Crochet-needle.



No. 677,832. Patented July 2, |90I.

J. J.- WICKHAM. CROCHET NEEDLE.A

(Application led Oct. 11, 1900.)

(No Modal.)

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UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. IVICKHAM, OF VVASHINGr'ION,v DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,832, dated July 2, i901.

l Application filed October 11,1900. Serial No. 32,768. (No model.) l

To cz/ZZ whom t may concern: v

Be it known that I, JOHN J. WICKHAM, residing in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, have inventeda new and Improved Crochet-Needle, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an imf proved crochet needle or hook, and it seeks to provide certain novel improvements upon the ordinary hook or crochet-needle whichv said thread in fabric form, when pullingr the hook end of the needlel back to carry the thread through the said loops or windings must exercise considerable care as well as skill to pull the said thread back in such manner as to prevent the barbed end catching into thelloops, and' thereby disorganizingthe proper relative arrangementof the stitches or loops or breaking the thread, the latter objectionable result being fre,- quently encountered when the material being worked is a worsted or other fluifybody. My invention is especially designed to obviate such annoyances by providing a crochetneedle with a movable member adapted to be slipped into position and form, as it were, a bridge for extending over the hook or barbed end of the needle in such manner as to produce a needle the entire length of which has an uninterrupted external surface, especially at that end over which the stitches are dropped, so that no projections or barbs will interfere with the loops or stitches when it is desired to drop the same oif the needle, p ro- .viding, as it were, a smooth end adapted to pull freely through the-stitches, the said bridge having a finger-manipulated member Whereby the same may be conveniently shoved forward to its barbed covering position. S prng devices for automatically pulling the said bridge back into its normal o'r inoperative position are also provided, all of which will hereinafter be fully described, and particularly pointed outin the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying draw-i ings, in which- Figure l illustrates my improved crochetneedle as in use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the needle, the bridge-piece being in the inner or normal position. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the bridge-piece forward to close over the barbed end. Fig.Y 4 is a longitudinal section of the needle, the bridge member being drawn back. Fig. La is a longitudinal section of the needle, the bridgepiece being in its forward position. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on thel line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the finger-trip-detent device hereinafter referred to; and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of va modified form of my invention, the same being especially adapted for knitting silk or linen thread.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 9

is a detail view of the bridge member used in the said modied form.

In the drawings, 1 designates the crochetneedle,r having the ordinary external shape, and the front end of the needle has a longitudinal borev 2, beginning at the'tapered or reduced part 1fL thereof and extending in to the handle-portion of the needle to a predetermined point, and the inner end of the said bore merges With a horizontal elongated slot 3, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

Y fi designates what I term the bridge member, and the same comprises a bolt-like portion et, having a diameter similar to the bore 2 and having its front end tapering on the plane of the taper or cut part l of the needle, so that when the bridge is moved back into the needle-body and held at its normal position the said end will form practically a continuation of the part la and provide a smooth surface to permit of asfree use of the pick-u p or hook end of the needle as if it had no bore or bridge-piece, the tapering of the front end of the bridge member also IOO - the forward end of the spring properly held 'by driving the two small pins 7 through the serving to provide fora close interlocking of the said tapered end with the undercut hook or barb-5, as clearly shown in Fig. IF.

in a shank 4, of reduced diameter, to permit placing the coil-spring 6 about it, the rear end of which abuts against the shoulder 4b,

formed on the shank 4c, and its front end engages a pair of stop-pins 7 7, that pass transversely through the needle-handle, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. When in its vnormal posiby a spring 6. Y

8 indicates a finger-button Ahaving ashank that extends through the slots 3, said shank being threaded, whereby toreadily engage with the threaded aperture in the end 4 of the shank 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, andto provide a simple and practical means'fory holding the bridgel member to its forward position. The extreme front end of the slot`3 is' formed with an abrupt angle portion 3a, which terminates in the lock-shoulder 3", such arrangement providing for slipping the iinger-piece 8 into engagement with the shoulder 3"., it being understood the shank of the member 4 is sufficiently resilient to allow the finger-piece 8 to pass up the'angle slot 3 and engage with the shoulder 3b.

The details of construction shown in the drawings may be modified under the scope of the appended claims; but I prefer the structure shown, for the reason that no special provision need be provided for making an entirely new type of needle, as the present form of needlemay be used by simply drilling into it a longitudinal bore and cutting the slot 3 through the side thereof. This being done, the bridge member, together with the spring, can be slid into the bore 2 and handle part to straddle the shank 4C of the member 4, after which the finger-piece S can be fitted by inserting the shank thereof through the slot 3 to engage the threaded end of the shank llc, such arrangement of parts providing a very simple, inexpensive, and eX- pedient way for constructing my improved needle.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the manner in which my invention is capable of being used and its advantages will be readily apparent.

In use the bridge is normally held back by the spring 6, the user, after throwing the required number of loops or stitches about the needle end and having picked the thread with the needle end that is to be pulled through the said loops, presses the finger-piece 8 forward until the bridge-piece covers the barbed end of the needle, at which time the finger member 8 will engage with the lock-shoulder of the slot 3 and hold the bridge-piece in'po- The' inner end of the bridge member terminates sition, thereby making the forward end of the needle with practically a smooth external surfaceand free from any projections that might interfere with pulling the barbed end of the needle, together with the thread-loop carried thereon, through the several loops or stitches held upon the front end of the needle, thereby reducing the danger of hooking the said loops or stitches or otherwise disorganizing the proper arrangement of the stitches to the minimum. tion, the bridge member is held drawn back g of my invention.

of metal and the. body part is of-two pieces, jthe front l and the rear portion 1X, which portion has a threaded shank to engage the threaded rear end of the bore 2 in the part l. 'i In this latter form thev bore 2 is reduced-at ithe forward end tol receivethe bridge-shank i 4, which is of the same thickness throughout and hasits rear endformed with the head 4J j and the apertured member et, which receives In Figs. 7, 8, and 9 is shown a modication This formof needle is made the finger-piece 8f. The spring 6 in this form By constructing the needle as shown in Figs. 7 and S the bridge-piece and the spring can be inserted into the rear end. of the bore 2 and thefinger-piece 8 by inserting same through the slot 3 to engage member 4, after 95 which the detachable end l is screwedonto the part l.

Having thus described my invention, what Patd1e, and a detent with which the said finger engages for holding the bridge-piece to its closed position, as specified.

2. Asa new article, a crochet-needle, having a bridge-piece slidable within the handle part thereof, means for normally holding it to its inner or inoperative position, said bridgepiece having a finger-engaging portion pro- .jected through the side of t-he needle, whereby it can be shoved out to close overthe g barbed end of the needle, substantially as lshown and described.

3. The combination with the needle 1, having a central bore, a bridge member slidable in the said bore, having its outer end tapered in a plane with the tapered end of the needle, a spring held within the bore for normally holding the bridge member to its inner position, said bridge member having a ngerytripped detent for holding it to its outer or closed position, as specified.

4l. The combination with the needle having a longitudinal bore, opening through the taper end thereof, and a horizontal slot merging with the rear endof thev bore, said slot having an interlocking portion 3b; of the ing portion 3b, thereof, all being arranged subbridge member, said bridge member cornpris-k stanially as shown and for the purposes de- Io ing a bolt-like end 4:, and a reduced shanl; scribed. v

4, said shank having a shoulder member 4- Y the tension-spring 6, the stop-pin 7,and the JOHN J' VIOKHAM' finger-piece 8, secured to the end of the said Witnesses:

shank, said nger-piece sliding in a horizon- A. E. DIETERICH,

tal slot, and adapted to engage the interlock- LOUIS DIETERICH. 

